Ornithoptera tithonus

Tithonus Birdwing
Conservation status
Data Deficient (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Papilionidae
Tribe:	Troidini
Genus:	Ornithoptera
Species:	O. tithonus
Binomial name
Ornithoptera tithonus De Haan, 1841

The Tithonus Birdwing (Ornithoptera tithonus) is a species of birdwing butterfly found in the Australasia / Indomalaya ecozone.

Ornithoptera tithonus is, like all other birdwing butterflies, a strictly protected species. It is listed in the appendix II from CITES.

Subspecies

Ornithoptera tithonus Female, upperside

There are six subspecies:

• O. t. cytherea [Kobayashi & Koiwaya, 1980]
• O. t. dominici [Schäffler, 2001]
• O. t. makikoae [Morita, 1998]
• O. t. misoolana [Deslisle, 1985]
• O. t. misresiana [Joicey & Noakes, 1916]
• O. t. waigeuensis [Rothschild, 1897]

Description

The fore wings are black. At the wing tip there is a green stripe and one golden spot. In the middle of the wing there is a large, green band. The rear edge is green. The underside of Ornithoptera tithonus is black. At the outer edge and in the middle of the wing there is green area. The veins are black and they cleave the green areas. The golden spot at the wing tip is tansparent like a window.

The hind wings of Ornithoptera tithonus are multicoloured. The inner part of the wing and the edge are black. The other part of the wing is green. The green area contains some golden spots and three black spots. The underside is green. Some golden spots and some black spots are on the wing. The inner edge is very hairy.

The body (abdomen) is yellow. Head and thorax are black. The underside of thorax has a red hair-coat.

Sex differences: The female covers the upper range of the wing-span. It is significant-larger than the male. The basic colour of the female is dark-brown. At the outer edge and in the middle of the wing there are some white spots. On the hind wings there is a big white area. The outer edge of the white area is yellow. Between the white part and the yellow part there is a chain of black spots. The underside is a copy from upside, but all colours are stronger.

Distribution

Ornithoptera tithonus is a butterfly from the Australasia / Indomalaya (Australia) ecozone. The distribution is restricted on Irian and other islands in the neighbourhood.

References

• Haugum, J. & Low, A.M. (1983). [1978-1983] A Monograph of the Birdwing Butterflies. The systematics of Ornithoptera, Troides and related genera. Vols 1 & 2. Klampenborg : Scandinavian Science Press 356 pp.

Hybrids
O. rothschildi x O. priamus poseidon • O. victoriae x O. priamus urvillianus